Anonymity Online

Communication has been a driving force for technology since before written history. The internet is no exception.

With advancements in technology comes the desire to communicate anonymously. While participating in activates such as blog comments, chat rooms, instant messaging and Twitter it give users the feeling of being anonymous and these users are free to feel as though they  can be their "true self" to express their opinions in a fashion that will not reflect on their local persona.

What is Anonymity?

Gary Marx defines anonymity as not being identifiable according to his seven dimensions of identity knowledge [1], which are:

1. Legal name
2. Locatabililty or the ability to reach a person on or offline
3. Pseudonyms that can be linked to legal name or locatability
4. Pseudonyms that cannot be linked to other forms of identity knowledge but can provide other clues
5. Pattern knowledge than can be revealing
6. Social categorization such as gender, ethnicity, religion, age, etc.
7. Symbols of eligibility/non-eligibility

Using this definition in conjunction with current events about anonymity, it can be said that there is no such thing as true anonymity on the internet.  Edward Snowden's recent whistle blowing on the NSA's monitoring practices has exposed exactly what kind of monitoring practices are not only implemented by our government, but what is possible by private organizations and individuals alike.[2]

How This Affects Communication

It has long been speculated that anonymity on the internet gives users the sense of security and separation that allows them to act in negative ways that they would not otherwise in face-to-face interaction.

In my next post I will cover in-dept how this applies to online interaction. 

References:

 [1] Marx, G. (1999). What's in a name? some reflections on the sociology of anonymity. The Information Society,15(2), 99112.

[2] The Editorial Board. (2014, Janurary 01). Edward snowden, whistle-blower. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/opinion/edward-snowden-whistle-blower.html